


Drawings

by RosieDae



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Darcy is Amazing, Disney Movies, Drawing, F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff, Harry Potter References, Secret Admirer, Steve has a dog, artist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4335854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosieDae/pseuds/RosieDae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy has a secret admirer that likes to draw her photos. Steve has a dog.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drawings

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! This is my first fic so I hope you all enjoy!

It was a Wednesday when the first note showed up. 

It was a dreary day, with lots of rain and Darcy really didn’t want to go into work, but duty called. She couldn’t complain, really, because she actually enjoyed her job. She was the assistant to not one, but three mad scientists. Of course that meant three schedules, three people to watch over, but Darcy enjoyed the busy lifestyle. Something about working in the Tower made her want to be productive.

Darcy walked into her office, situated just a few floors below the Avengers’ common room, and right above the residential area for various people. She was on the same floor as the labs, which could sometimes be a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it made discussing things with Jane, Tony, and Bruce much easier,but sometimes there were random explosions, and Darcy would have to trudge back down to medical (all the way on the bottom floor), and get her blood tested just in case she was exposed to any random chemicals or forms of radiation.

She sat down at her desk and noticed the little drawing of a Starbucks coffee cup drawn on a small piece of paper, which looked like it was torn carefully from a sketchbook. She lifted the paper, carefully inspecting it’s weight and realized that this was quality paper. On the back, Darcy noticed that this mystery person had written something. The note said, “ _I couldn’t buy you a hot coffee and get it here on time without it getting cold, and I’m pretty sure if I bought you a coffee you would throw it out, in fear of it being poisoned. This is the best I could do.”_

Darcy smiled at the note, but couldn’t help but question who this person was who sent her this note. They clearly knew her habits, because they knew that she would indeed chuck the coffee if a stranger gave it to her. She worked for Tony Stark, for Thor’s sake! She was a very smart woman.  

She got to work, carefully checking over Jane’s schedule, then Tony’s, and eventually Bruce’s. It was the same old; Jane had a few guest lecture’s at various schools throughout the city planned for the week, Tony had some celebrity appearances to make, and Bruce had a mission trip planned to bring kids vaccinations in impoverished countries. 

Around eleven o’clock she felt somebody at her door.

“That’s my shirt you’re wearing.” A voice said.

Darcy looked up and saw the familiar face of her friend, Natasha Romanoff. Yeah, that one surprised Darcy too. Darcy would have never thought that she would be friends with the Black Widow, but here they were. Natasha was impressed by Darcy’s wit and smart mouth. Anyone who can receive sass from Tony Stark and then deal it back without fear was a person Natasha wanted to be friends with. 

“How dare you accuse me of stealing your shirt, when you left it in my apartment three days ago! Finders keepers.” Darcy said smugly. 

“Fair enough.” Natasha said, and sat down in the chair across from Darcy’s desk. She crossed her legs. “What are you doing tonight? Pepper wants to know if we all want to go out to dinner.” 

Darcy continued on with her work. “I’m up to nothing. You know me. Same old, same old. Want me to talk to Jane?”  

“I already talked to her this morning before she went into the labs. She’s in. Want to meet at our regular place?” Natasha suggested. 

Darcy continued typing away on her keyboard, replying to email from some angry person complaining about Tony. If you were Tony Stark’s assistant, then you had to be prepared to reply to less than cordial emails. Darcy replied with her usual snark, though, which was to be expected. Tony always appreciated her sass. “Yeah, that sounds good. How does six sound?” Darcy said, finally turning to Natasha. 

 

“What’s this?” Natasha eyed the little note that this mystery person sent her. “Looks like you may have an admirer.” She raised an eyebrow at Darcy, who shrugged in response.

 

“I don’t know who it is. It was just there this morning. Whoever drew this is a pretty talented artist though. They even drew the little mermaid in the Starbucks logo.” Darcy further explained, and pointed out the mermaid that her artist had so carefully drawn on the piece of paper. 

Natasha stood up then. “I have to go. Clint wants to meet me for a sparring session soon. And I want that shirt back!” 

“Only if you give me mystery blue dress back!” Darcy countered, and Natasha left the room.

The rest of the day was fairly normal for Darcy. No alarms went off, there were no explosions, and she didn’t even have to drag Jane out of her office for her lunch break. Although her day had started off dreary and it was still raining, it had turned out to be a rather good day so far.

Darcy took the elevator back to the floor that she, Jane, and Thor shared. Jane and Thor had finally moved in together which left Darcy with a massive apartment all to herself. Darcy couldn’t help but think how lucky she was, to have a wonderful and satisfying job, and she got to live in the Avengers Tower. She plopped down on the couch and turned on HGTV (her secret guilty pleasure), and watched an episode of The Property Brother’s before finally deciding that she should get ready for her girls’ night out. 

She slipped into a plum colored dress that showed off the ladies (named Ellen and Portia, of course), and put on a pair of black heels that brought her small frame up to an acceptable height. Darcy couldn’t wait to get out of the Tower and away from all the males that surrounded her on a daily basis. Due to her insistence, Tony had started hiring more females around the building, and the change was definitely welcomed with open arms. However, being around most of the Avengers all day drove her a little crazy. Yeah, her GNO was on a Wednesday night, but Darcy couldn’t care less. She could survive after drinking a few glasses of wine. It’s not like she was going clubbing or anything.

Darcy grabbed a light jacket and put it on, and stepped out of her apartment and made her way down to the lobby of the Tower. Once she stepped out of the elevator, she started walking and texting Natasha at the same time. 

_Just left the building now. See u in a few. - D_

Her phone buzzed a moment later. _There is some Pinot Noir with your name on it. - N._ Attached was a photo of some very expensive looking Pinot Noir and she could see Pepper in the background of the photo. Darcy giggled a little bit.

And then she ran into a wall.

Well, she didn’t run into an actual wall, but rather a very well-built person who smelt absolutely wonderful. 

“Steve!” Darcy exclaimed in surprise. She then realized that she was just a bit too close to Captain America for comfort and took a step back, and took a good once-over of him in the process. And _damn,_ he looked great. He had obviously just come back from riding his motorcycle, because he was wearing a leather jacket and aviator sunglasses. Underneath his jacket he was wearing a white shirt that was _very_ tight and showed off his muscular frame. Wow, he really looked good. Steve was looking at her funny. Did she have something in her hair? Something in her teeth? Did she smell bad?

“It’s good to see you, Darcy. Long time no talk. Where you headed to?” Steve asked curiously.

“Um, I’m just headed out for a girl’s night with the usual crowd.” Darcy replied awkwardly.

“Oh.” Steve replied, looking slightly happier than he did the minute before. “I won’t keep you. Tell everyone I say hello!”

He walked away then, leaving Darcy standing in the middle of the lobby of the Avengers Tower. She started walking again, and hailed a cab once she got outside. 

It was no secret that Darcy harbored a crush on Steve Rogers. Steve probably had no clue, as he was the most oblivious male in the whole entire universe. She was sure of that. But as for the other members of her crowd, they were _well_ aware that Darcy found Steve Rogers to be one of the finest creatures on the planet. 

Darcy had never really had any reason to speak to Steve, as she spent most of her time down in the labs, which Steve avoided at all costs. They seemed to work on different schedules, and when she did see him in the common room or somewhere else, they never really spoke. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the car stopping, and Darcy realized that she was definitely daydreaming quite a bit. She walked into the restaurant, and the hostess brought her to her usual table with the girls. They went to this restaurant often enough to have a usual table, and she knew all the staff by their first names. 

“Thanks, Carla!” Darcy said brightly. She slid into the usual booth, situated in the back corner of the restaurant so that nobody would recognize them. It was mostly for Pepper and Natasha’s sake, but Darcy liked to pretend that she was just as famous as them. 

“Darcy, I was just telling Pepper and Jane about the mystery man leaving you notes on your desk!” Natasha greeted. She was wearing something other than dark colors for once, opting for a stunning red dress that only she could pull off. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?!” Jane exclaimed, nearly standing up in her seat. It was always funny watching Jane getting excited about something, because she could never contain it. 

“Okay, I have a few reasons why I didn’t tell you. One, you never like to be distracted from your work. Two, this all happened this morning! That’s it. I think.” Darcy explained. A waiter came over then and a glass of wine appeared in her hands. Perfect. Darcy was looking forward to letting loose.

Jane seemed satisfied by her answer and quieted down. Pepper spoke up then.

“Darcy, you’re looking a little flushed. Are you alright?” Pepper questioned, taking a sip of her wine and looking at Darcy with inquisitive eyes.

“Is tonight ‘ _interrogate Darcy night’?_ ” Darcy replied. “If you must know, I just saw Steve Rogers and I think my imagination got the better of me.”

Jane snorted while drinking her wine, and Natasha raised an eyebrow. Damn Natasha, always raising her eyebrows. Darcy wished she had that ability.

“And how did that go?” Natasha asked. 

“It went just fine. I ran straight into him and made a complete fool out of myself, as usual.” Darcy explained, and then sighed. “I just want to find love, guys. It’s no fair. You guys all have someone, and I’m just here, being Darcy.”

“Darcy, you’re a bombshell. The right guy will come along soon.” Jane reassured her. 

Darcy humphed dejectedly in response. This was her longest dry spell. Her last boyfriend was back in London, which was over two years ago. They had only lasted two months before he broke up with her. She was okay being single, but she was ready to meet somebody again. She had been on a few dates here and there, but she never clicked with a single person. It was all rather depressing, actually. 

The rest of the night went smoothly. They almost got horribly drunk but remembered that they all had to work in the morning, and they all settled on getting tipsy instead. They laughed, talked about clothes and stupid things that Tony had done in the office that week, and Darcy was glad that she could let loose from some of the stress that had been building up over the past few weeks. 

When she finally got home that night, it was 11:30 and Darcy was probably the most tipsy out of all of them. Luckily, her tipsy self was smart enough to leave a glass of water and ibuprofen by the bed, and Darcy fell asleep immediately after collapsing onto the bed. 

* * *

The next day, Darcy was really regretting having so many glasses of wine the night before. To her, wine hangovers were the worst. She put her hair up in the most professional looking ponytail she could manage, put her glasses onto her face (contacts just weren’t going to happen today), and tried to make herself look as presentable as possible. She made herself a coffee instead of walking to Starbucks, because she couldn’t stand the idea of going out in the sunlight.

She plopped down in her comfy office chair and sighed. It was going to be a long day. She rubbed her eyes and looked down at her desk, mentally preparing herself for the day. 

There was another drawing. This time, it was of her favorite Disney Princess, Ariel. It wasn’t colored in or anything, just a sketch, but she marveled at it’s beauty. She turned the paper around to see if there was a note. She was not disappointed. It read, “ _Heard you liked Disney, and thought you might like this. Might help the hangover, perhaps?”_

Who was this person?! Darcy was getting frustrated. How did he know of her passionate love for   Disney, and how did he know of her getting drunk last night? She sighed, and logged onto her computer to work for the day. 

Twenty minutes later, Darcy was still sitting at her desk, staring at the blank screen of her computer. So she did what any rational personal would do; she went to go annoy Tony Stark, of course. She walked down to the labs and found Tony tinkering with what looked like a generator, but Darcy didn’t do science, so she really had no idea what that piece of metal could be. 

“Hiya, Tony!” Darcy greeted, plopping herself down on one of the couches that were scattered throughout his workshop. He often spent the night down on one of these couches, whether it was because he got into a fight with Pepper, or if he just couldn’t part from his work. 

“What do you have to annoy me with this time, Lewis?” Tony greeted from underneath the generator. “Do you think you could hand me the wrench with the little screw on it?”

“Tony, do you know of anybody who can access my office?” Darcy asked, handing Tony the wrench that he described. 

“Well, technically, only you and I can get into your office. Why? Want to have a love affair with one of the lower level agents?” Tony asked saucily. Although she couldn’t see Tony’s face, she could imagine him wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“No! Get your mind out of the gutter or I’ll figure out a way for you to be crushed by that thing you’re building. I was just wondering. That’s all.” Darcy explained, and threw her styrofoam coffee cup at Tony’s leg.

“That was rude, Lewis!” Tony joked. “First of all, this is a generator to charge up my suit when I’m not able to charge it here, and second, does this have anything to do with somebody leaving notes on your desk in the morning?”

“How did you know about that?!’” 

“This is my building. Jarvis tells me everything.” Tony used that as his only explanation. Darcy opened her mouth but Tony cut her off before she could say anything. “No, I will not tell who it is! Go back and do whatever business you do when you’re not trying to shove nutrients down my throat.” 

“You’re absolutely no help, Tony!” Darcy said. “I’m going to put motor oil in your coffee the next time I see you!”

“Okay, that was a bad one, Lewis. Even Jarvis could come up with a better comeback than that. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve drank worse. Dummy has made some pretty interesting drinks for me before.” 

Darcy turned around and marched right back up to her office. She plopped down into her seat for the second time that day with a great big ‘humph’. 

Who could this man possibly be? Who would Tony Stark willingly let into her office? Wait, scratch that. Tony had let numerous people and/or creatures into her office and had Jarvis record her reactions to the disruptions. Two weeks ago, there had been a swearing parrot flying around and pooping everywhere in her office. Darcy was not amused at all, and she refused to feed Tony that day. He whined and moaned to Pepper about it, like he usually did, but she just told him that he deserved it. 

It couldn’t be any of the Avengers. None of them had the amount of artistic skill that it took to make the drawings she was receiving. She was 90% sure of that. Okay, maybe 70% sure. Everybody had secret talents. But Clint was taken by Natasha, Tony was with Pepper, Thor with Jane, and Steve liked to keep to himself. 

Steve? Could it be Steve? She quickly dismissed that thought, because she was 100% sure that Steve thought she was a complete dork. She had only spoken to him a few times, but when she had, she made a fool of herself. 

This completely stumped Darcy. She gave up and decided that maybe she would ask Natasha instead. 

Darcy finished her work day and eventually managed to shake off her killer hangover. She was looking forward to going to bed early! Oh, the joys of being an adult. She got into her pajamas, which were a pair of old sweatpants and her college sweatshirt. 

“Hey Jarvis, do you think you could cue up Hope Floats for me, please?” She asked the AI while making a bowl of popcorn.

“No problem, Miss Lewis. Hope Floats coming up.” The AI responded.

“You’re the best, Jarv!” Darcy said to the AI. He was truly the best. He had saved her from missing documents and forgotten appointments on numerous occasions.

“I know, Miss Lewis. You tell me everyday.”

Darcy settled into her couch and wrapped herself in a blanket. About an hour into the movie, there was a loud and urgent knock on Darcy’s door. That was strange. Jane and Natasha usually let themselves in if they ever wanted to visit, so who could this be? She was not expecting it to be a frantic looking Steve Rogers.

“Steve? I hate to be rude, but can I just ask what you’re doing here?” Darcy questioned. She was terribly confused. She suddenly remembered that she was in her pajamas and she felt herself blush.

“Could I ask you a favor?” Steve asked. “A really huge favor? You don’t have to if you don’t want, but it would be really appreciated.”

“Um, sure. What do you need?” Darcy ran her hand threw her messy hair. 

“I, uh, was just called in for an urgent mission and I kind of really need someone to look after Franklin. You know, Franklin, right? My dog? Normally Pepper looks after him when I’m away on missions, but she left for Miami this morning, and I can’t exactly ask Jane because she’s so occupied with science that she might forget to feed him, so I was just wondering if you could maybe watch him?” Steve rambled all in one breath.

“Sure thing, Steve! Is there anything I need to know?” Darcy asked. Out of all things she hoped and wished Steve Rogers would come to her apartment for at 11 at night, this was not one of them. She wasn’t exactly complaining though. She was talking to him and she wasn’t making a fool of herself! This was conversation was going great!

“I have an emergency sheet explaining everything to do with Frank on my fridge! I’ll have Jarvis let you in! I really have to go though, saving the world and all that.” Steve replied. “Thank you so much!”

And he was off, running to the elevators, probably to go up to the helicopter pad where the rest of the Avengers were probably waiting for him. He was in his uniform, so Darcy took a nice peek of his backside as he ran away. 

“Stay safe!” Darcy called out, but nobody had heard her. Steve was already through the elevator doors.

Darcy put on a pair of slippers and made her way to where she guessed Steve’s apartment was. She wasn’t exactly sure, but she knew what floor it was on. “Well, I guess I’m looking after a dog until Thor knows when.” she muttered into the darkness. 

Finding Steve’s apartment wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be. Like he promised, Jarvis unlocked the door for her and she let herself into his apartment. It was a little more spacious than hers, but that was probably just a perk of being an Avenger. It was very neat and tastefully decorated, but Darcy figured that it was probably because Pepper decorated it. She made her way over to the kitchen where she found instructions on the fridge. Darcy took the piece of paper of the fridge and read the typed letter.

_To the person who is watching Frank,_

_If you are reading this, then I presume that it is because I am off on a mission and Pepper is unable to watch him. Frank is a very easy dog to take care of. He doesn’t require much exercise. In fact, that’s the reason why I got him. He’s always there to be a friend. He loves attention and will follow you around everywhere you go. He also likes sleeping a lot, so don’t worry if you can’t devote all your time to him. Anyways, he eats one scoop of food in the morning and one at night._

_Now, I’m sure you’re probably wondering where Frank goes to the bathroom. If you go out of the back entrance of the Tower, you’ll notice a little patch of grass. There’s a pooper scooper and plastic baggies in the hall closet for you to use._

_Please, take care of my little guy. He’s my best friend and I love seeing him happy._

_Thanks again,_

_Steve_

That might have been the cutest thing Darcy had ever read. Normally dogs were energetic creatures and always greeted people whenever the came to the door. Where was Frank? She called out into the apartment.

“Frank? Frankie?” She called, looking around the apartment.

She heard the pitter patter of footsteps (pawsteps?) two seconds later. She got down on the ground to greet the fat bulldog. Darcy could see why Steve would adopt a bulldog, as they were generally lazy creatures and didn’t require much exercise. Steve probably also didn’t want to have a high maintenance dog also, because he was surrounded by high maintenance people most hours of the day.

“Well aren’t you just a little cutie pie!” Darcy exclaimed, petting Frank, who looked very happy that somebody was loving him so much.

Frank just panted happily in response.

“Why don’t we get your stuff and bring it up to my place? That way you and I will have company in each other while all our friends are away.” Darcy spoke to the dog, looking around Steve’s apartment. “Hmm… What do we do need? Probably your bed, some toys, and your food. How does that sound?”

She found a dog bed with some toys on it in the living room, and she was grateful that she wouldn’t have to venture in to Steve’s bedroom. Darcy didn’t think she could handle that. She could take a peek… Steve would never find out. No! Darcy quickly got her mind out of the gutter and continued on her task. Food. Where was Franklin’s food? She looked in the all the cabinets in the kitchen and finally found it in one of the lower cabinets.

Her arms were pretty full. It was going to be a hike back up to her apartment. “Hey, Frankie!” she called to the sweet dog. “Want to come hang out with me for a while?”

The dog wiggled his bum and followed her happily to the elevator. He was a very well behaved dog, but Darcy expected nothing less from him. His owner was Captain America, one of the most polite people on the planet.  

She let herself into her apartment and put his food down by the kitchen, and plopped his bed into her room. “Well, this is your new home for the next couple days, bud! I haven’t had a dog since I was real little, but I’m sure you and I will be pals in no time!” 

Frank ran happily into his bed and was out like a light in no time. Darcy was thankful that he was a very relaxed dog, because she wouldn’t know what to do if he was a high energy dog that required exercise and constant attention.

Darcy decided that perhaps it was time for bed, as it was almost midnight at this point. She collapsed into bed, and fell asleep quickly. The only sound in her apartment was the gentle snoring of she and Frank the bulldog.

The next morning, Darcy woke up and remembered that she was taking care of Steve Rogers’ dog. Frank was already awake and sitting by the container that had all of his food in it. She fed him quickly and while he was eating, she got dressed. 

Darcy made a coffee for herself and was just about to head out the door when she heard a huffing noise behind her. She looked down and Franklin was giving her the cutest puppy eyes…

“Fine, you can come to work with me. Why don’t we bring you outside?” Darcy suggested. She put the leash on Franklin, found a plastic baggy, and took the elevator down the lobby where she would find the patch of grass. 

She let Franklin do his business while she sipped on some coffee, picked it up and threw it in the trash before leading him back up to her office. Darcy sanitized her hands before getting to work. She looked down at her desk to see if there was a little note, and she was a little sad to see that there was nothing on her desk.

Darcy didn’t let that bother her (but it kind of did), and got to work. She wondered how the Avengers were doing and turned on the live feed from Tony’s helmet that only she and Pepper had access to. It seemed as though they were fighting some gigantic robot and some other various bad guys in Japan. The feed made Darcy too nervous so shut it off almost as quickly as she put it on.

She wondered how Bruce was doing in all this, since he left for his mission trip yesterday morning. He had no idea that this was even happening. That thought made Darcy even more nervous,  because that meant that the Avengers were probably struggling without their friend and teammate.

Darcy always hated it when the Avengers went on missions. She feared for her friends safety. She knew that they were trained superheroes and assassins, but it didn’t make her feel any less nervous than she already was. 

Without having three scientists plus the other Avengers annoying her during the day, there really wasn’t much work left to do. She finished up plans for the Halloween Masquerade that was only two weeks away and then left with Frank to go see if Jane needed any help. Jane always holed herself up in her lab whenever Thor went out on a mission. It was how she coped. Darcy kind of knew how she felt, but she wasn’t dating any member of the Avengers. She wasn’t in a longterm relationship with any of them, so she didn’t know how Jane _really_ felt. Darcy imaged that the feeling would be awful.

She and Frank meandered down to Jane’s lab and saw her working on a piece of equipment that Darcy couldn’t put a label on.

“Hey, Jane. Need anything?” Darcy asked. 

The distracted scientist kept tinkering with her gadget. “No, but thanks though, Darce. Wait, why is there a dog with you?”

“I’m watching Steve’s dog while he’s off on his mission. Usually Pepper watches him, but she’s in Miami right now. I actually quite like Frank. He’s turned out to be a rather nice companion.” Darcy explained, and Frank looked up at her happily. The dog had really taken to Darcy. Most people usually ended up taken with Darcy, as she was just a bundle of joy, but that was getting off topic.

“Watching Steve’s dog? Next thing you know you’ll be dating him.” Jane joked, and then turned back to her science.

Well, Jane wasn’t being any help to Darcy’s boredom. Darcy and Frank ended up calling it an early day, ordered some takeout and settled in on Darcy’s couch to watch Dirty Dancing.

Frank was resting his head in her lap, begging for attention. He constantly needed to be loved, and Darcy was happy to give it to him. The little fatty was just the cutest thing she had ever seen. He reminded her of a meatball in many ways. 

“Hey, Frank, do you miss Steve? I think I miss seeing Steve’s cute face. Did you know that your owner is very attractive? Probably not, because you’re a dog. But I’ll let you know right now that Steve is very good looking, and I would like to smooch his cute face.” Darcy told the dog. She felt absolutely ridiculous talking to the dog, but in some ways, he seemed to understand what she was saying. His ears perked up when he heard the name Steve. He looked to the door, and Darcy knew immediately what the dog was thinking.

“He’ll be home soon, pup. Don’t you worry.” Darcy said.

Soon one movie turned into three, and around ten she decided to take Frank out for one last time and then plop into bed. Darcy was so tired that she didn’t even remember climbing into bed. 

When she woke up, Frank was waiting by his food again (dang, that dog really like his food), and Darcy fed him and then went on her usual routine. Thankfully, there was no work today, so Darcy was thinking of bringing Frank to the park to get some fresh air. Darcy needed the fresh air almost as much as he did, probably. Just after she brushed her teeth, somebody knocked on her door.

“Be there in a jiff!” She yelled, and walked to the door. Steve was there, dressed in his suit, and Darcy’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. He was a little battered up, had some dirt smudged across his face, and he looked absolutely exhausted. He looked like he didn’t get any sleep since they left on Thursday night. 

“Steve! You look absolutely awful.” Darcy commented. She immediately blushed, as her mouth had gotten the better of her. She really needed to work on keeping her mouth shut. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, I know I look like I’ve been to hell and back. Is Frank here? How has he been?” Steve asked. 

“Frank is here. He’s just eating his food. Hey, why don’t you go take a nice shower and I’ll be upstairs with Frank and his stuff in a half hour?” Darcy suggested.

“That sounds great. Thank you so much for taking care of him.” Steve thanked Darcy.

“It was no problem. See you in a half hour!” Darcy said. 

Darcy was glad that she was fully dressed for the day and looked acceptable. She had opted to wear a comfy pair of skinny jeans, her favorite ballet flats, and big sweater with a scarf. 

Frank came running over after Darcy closed the door. “Hey, bud.” Darcy said. “Steve’s home, so that means you’re going home today!”

Frank recognized the word Steve, and once he heard that, he started jumping around as high as a bulldog possibly could. Darcy gave the dog a pat on the head and started gathering his things. He had scattered most of his toys throughout the apartment, so she had to go looking for all of his toys underneath various pieces of furniture. 

A little while later, Darcy and Frank made their way up to Steve’s apartment. Darcy made sure to put on just a little extra perfume before she left. 

She knocked on Steve’s door, which was rather difficult considering the amount of stuff she had in her arms. 

“Hi, Darcy! Hey, bud!” Steve greeted, crouching down to pet his very excited dog. When he saw how much stuff was in Darcy’s arms, he stood back up. “Let me help you with that! Sorry.”

He took the things out of Darcy’s arms and placed them next to the door. Darcy took the time to appreciate how nice Steve looked. He was wearing a pair of well-fitted, dark wash jeans and a plain shirt that was way too tight to be legal. His hair was still damp from his shower, and Darcy could smell the expensive cologne that he had sprayed. 

Darcy quickly tore her eyes away before Steve could notice that she was staring at him. “Frank was an absolute angel.” Darcy said, giving the dog a pat. “I’ve grown rather attached to him over the past few days. I was actually going to take him for a walk this morning, but you guys got back from your mission. How did that go?”

“Well, we got all the people involved rounded up and they’re with SHIELD now, so I would say that it was a victory.” Steve said. He paused for a second and then continued speaking. “Hey, would you want to come take a walk with Frank and me? He seems to really like you and I don’t feel like messing up my sleep schedule by going to bed just yet.”

Darcy’s jaw almost dropped, but it thankfully did not. “Sure! It’s a nice day out.” She accepted the offer, and Steve put Frank on a leash and out they went. 

Did Steve really just ask her out? Well, not out like a _date,_ but she was hanging out with Steve Rogers! Darcy was so excited. First they went to barely speaking, and now they were something more than acquaintances. They weren’t friends just yet, and Darcy didn’t know if they ever would be, but Darcy was sadly okay with it. She never imagined she would be going out with Steve Rogers and his dog. What a great day.

The two people plus Frank walked through the lobby, oblivious to the staring from all the people surrounding them. Thankfully, it was only a short walk to Central Park. As they were walking, Steve starting talking.

“Have fun while we were away?” Steve asked, looking over at Darcy. 

“God, no!” Darcy said. “I was so bored! When I’m not annoying someone or doing work, I’m usually being annoyed by Tony or Clint or someone, but you guys were all gone! I’m glad I had Frank to keep company, though. I probably would have gone crazy. You see, Jane gets really caught up in her work whenever Thor is away on a mission. It distracts her. Of course, Thor is a God and is practically invincible, but it doesn’t stop her from worrying about him while you guys are off saving the world. Oh god, I’m rambling.”

Darcy blushed and looked away from Steve, instead choosing to focus on Frank, who was looking a little winded.

“It’s okay, I know what you mean. Whenever Natasha and Clint are off on an undercover mission, I always get real bored. Tony and Bruce are always caught up in their work and Thor is usually off doing who knows what, so I get bored. I usually use that time to cross some items off of my list.” Steve told Darcy truthfully.

“Your list?” She asked, confused.

“I, uh, have this list of things.” Steve explained, pulling out a little black notebook. “Whenever I don’t understand a reference to something, or if there’s a movie somebody tells me I need to watch, I write in down in here and I look it up when I get home. The list seems to be getting pretty big though, and I’m having trouble keeping up.”

“Watch anything good recently, then?” Darcy asked.

“I just watched Forrest Gump before I was called in the other night. That was a good movie.” Steve said. 

“I love that movie! It makes me cry every single time. What’s next on the list?” Darcy asked. They had finally gotten to Central Park, and they were sitting on a bench, admiring the beautiful autumn leaves and enjoying the nice day.

“The Harry Potter series? What even is that?” Steve asked, looking to her for the answer.

“Oh my goodness, you have to read the books! And you have to watch the movies! They were my childhood. I wanted to be Hermione so badly! Come to think of it,  I still want to be Hermione. The Harry Potter series, essentially, follows an orphan named Harry Potter, who turns about to be a wizard, and he has to defeat the evil Voldemort. There’s a lot more to it though. You have to read it!” Darcy gushed, running her fingers through her hair.

“That sounds very interesting, actually. I’ve always enjoyed fantasy. I’m surprised I haven’t heard of it sooner.” Steve admitted.

“That’s okay, as long as you see the movies then you’ll be okay. I would really suggest reading it though.” Darcy said for the third time.

Steve laughed. “Okay, I’ll read it. I’ll be sure to report to you when I have finished.” He said. 

The two talked for a little while longer, mostly about things that Steve had yet to discover and things that Steve had discovered already. It turned out that Steve was a huge Star Wars nerd, which made Darcy extremely happy. They also both shared the same taste in art and books. Darcy never would have thought she would have so much in common with Steve Rogers. He was quite the nerd, really. He was also a punk. He talked about his days fighting people in alleys during WWII when he was still skinny. So he was a punk and a nerd. It was an odd combination, but Darcy found herself liking the Captain even more. 

Soon enough Darcy, Steve, and Frank were outside Darcy’s apartment.

“I had a lot of fun, Steve.” Darcy admitted. And she really had. Steve looked completely knackered and he probably just asked her to go on a walk with him out of politeness, but Darcy had actually had a wonderful time. They probably wouldn’t be going out again any time soon, so Darcy made sure to savor the moment. 

“I had a lot of fun too. I’ll be sure to come find you when I read those Harry Potter books.” Steve said. “Thanks for watching Frank again!”

“No problem, Steve!” Darcy smiled, and walked into her apartment. 

Once inside, she let herself let out all the emotions she had been holding in the entire day. She giggled and she squealed and she felt completely giddy. She had just gone out with her crush and she didn’t make a complete fool out of herself! She did a little happy dance.

“Care to tell me why you were out for two hours with Captain America?” Natasha said. She was casually lounging on Darcy’s couch, flipping through the channels on her TV. 

Darcy jumped in fright. “For Thor’s sake, Natasha, you have to stop doing that! You just terrified me. Can’t a girl live in peace?” Darcy said, completely exasperated. She walked to the fridge, grabbed a water, and sat on the couch next to Natasha.

“So, are you going to tell me about your date with Steve or not?” Natasha asked. 

“If you _must_ know, it was not a date. I watched Frank while you guys were off on your mission, and Steve asked me to take a walk with him and Frank so that I could tell him how Frank was.” Darcy explained to Natasha.

“You guys talked about Frank for two hours?” Natasha asked. “Wow.”

“We talked about other things! Mostly about the items on his list. Stop being so nosy!” Darcy jokingly threw a pillow at Natasha, who threw it back to Darcy twice as fast. “Ow!”

“That’s what you get.” Natasha said. She got up off the couch. “Well, I’m going to go now, since you’re being such a party pooper. I better see you in the common room tonight at eight. We’re watching The Lion King.” 

Darcy stuck her tongue out at Natasha, who let herself out of Darcy’s apartment. Darcy still had some time to kill, so she decided to give her apartment a good cleaning. Nothing helped Darcy reflect more than cleaning. There was something therapeutic about it to her. Most people were annoyed by it, but the simple work allowed Darcy’s mind to wander and think about other things while she scrubbed. 

She got started on the dishes first, which had piled up after a busy week of work. Darcy thought about Steve, and what a great time she had today. She thought about his muscles, especially his abs, and how rock hard they must be. She thought about his perfectly combed hair and stupid smile. Darcy had it bad for Steve Rogers. 

By the time she finished cleaning, it was quarter to eight and Darcy made her way up to the common room for their weekly movie nights. She hoped she would Steve there. Sometimes he came to them, sometimes he didn’t. She was disappointed when she got there. Steve had yet to come, and if he wasn’t here by now, then he probably wouldn’t be coming. He was probably exhausted and went to bed early. 

“Darcy!” Clint exclaimed. “I saved a seat on the couch for you. Natasha’s being an asshole so I thought maybe you could sit next to me instead?”

“Clint, I highly doubt that Natasha’s being an asshole. What did you do this time?” Darcy rolled her eyes at the man. 

“I was hiding in the air vents to scare her when she came back from visiting you. She gave me this.” Clint explained, and pointed to a large bruise forming on his upper arm. 

“Well, then you deserved it. I think I’m going to sit down next to my favorite asshole over here.” Darcy said, sitting next to Tony. 

“Aw, I’m your favorite asshole? Thanks, Darcy.” Tony said. “Would you say that I’m the best asshole?”

“Well, you’re the biggest asshole in town, so yup. You win.” Darcy laughed. 

“I second that!” Pepper said, entering the room with two giant bowls of popcorn. That woman was always prepared. “I heard the words ‘Tony’ and ‘asshole’ in the same sentence, so I agree with whatever was being said.” 

“Hey!” Tony protested.

“It’s true.” Pepper shrugged. “But at least you’re my asshole.”

Tony gave her a kiss on the forehead when she sat down on the other side of him. “Let’s get this movie started! Jarvis, could you queue up The Lion King for us?” 

“Sure thing, Mr. Stark.” Jarvis said, and projected the movie up onto the screen.

This was Tony and Natasha’s first time seeing The Lion King, and Darcy was more entertained watching their reactions than watching the movie. She definitely saw Tony tear up a bit when Mufasa died. She would make fun of him for that at a later date. 

Half of the Avengers were asleep by the time the movie ended. They were all exhausted from coming back from their mission. Darcy also fell asleep. She couldn’t help it. She was looking at all the tired superheroes, thought about how tired she was, and then quickly fell asleep on the couch. 

Sometime during the night, a certain blond superhero put a blanket over her while she was sleeping. 

* * *

Soon enough, the weekend ended and Darcy had to get back to work. She was excited to see if there would be a note for her today. On Friday, she hadn’t received one. She really liked those notes. Darcy was also excited because everyone was back (except for Bruce, who was still away), and since everyone was back that meant that she had lots of things to do!

The Halloween masquerade was quickly approaching and Darcy had yet to find a dress. She, Jane, Natasha, and Pepper were going shopping in the afternoon. Darcy had a great day to look forward to. 

Darcy was not disappointed when she went to her office. Placed on her desk was a drawing of a beautiful rose, and this time it was colored in yellow with a red tip. She looked at the drawing for a moment to admire its beauty, and then turned it around to see if there was a note written on the back of it. It read, “ _Tale as old as time…”_

Another Disney reference. Darcy was impressed. One way to her heart was with Disney references, and this person was surely winning. She carefully placed it in her desk drawer where she kept the other two drawings. Each time, they were getting more personal and more romantic. Darcy was flattered by this secret admirer. 

Darcy spent the morning replying to emails, checking with the caterers for the gala, and playing some Bejeweled Blitz. Around noontime, Thor came in with a pizza. 

“Lady Darcy! I come bearing pizza. I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch?” He greeted jubilantly. 

“Thor! I haven’t talked to you in such a long time! Come sit and we can talk. How are you doing?” she asked, taking a slice of pizza from the box.

“I have come to ask you an important question.” Thor said seriously. “I am considering asking forJane to marry me at the masquerade. Do you think she would like that? Do you think she would want to marry me? I have been researching about marriage proposals here on Midgard, and it is much different to the courting process on Asgard. I am supposed to get her a ring?”

Darcy wanted to take a picture because Thor looked so ridiculously cute, almost like a little puppy. Darcy brightened up immediately. 

“I think that’s a wonderful idea! Have you picked out a ring yet? How are you going to ask her?” Darcy exclaimed all in one breath. 

“I have not yet gotten a ring. I wished to see if you would accompany me in purchasing a ring? I know my Jane admires how you clothe yourself, and I think that you would help me pick a ring that she would like the best. I was also thinking of asking her during the masquerade, outside on the terrace.” Thor said.

“Thor, you could give Jane a RingPop and she would love it forever. But of course I’ll help you pick out the ring. Jane is going to cry happy tears. I’m sure of it. I’m so excited Thor! You two are going to be so happy.” Darcy said. 

“I’m glad you approve, shield sister! I know your approval has always meant so much to Jane.” Thor smiled. “How are you doing? I heard that you went out with Steve the other day! I am so glad to hear that you two are finally courting each other.”

“I swear, gossip circles around here faster than it does in a high school.” Darcy muttered under her breath. “I’m not seeing Steve, Thor. I think we just became friends the other day.”

“Well, I’m sorry about the miscommunication, Lady Darcy. I know Tony loves to over exaggerate most of the time. Perhaps I should not trust what he has to say.” Thor reasoned. 

“That’s a very good idea, Thor. Never trust what Tony has to say.” Darcy laughed a little. “Tony means well though. His heart is in the right place.”

“I know it is. I know he wants you two to get together. I heard him and Barton gambling over it on Saturday evening before you came up to watch the movie.” Thor told her. 

“They what?!?!?!?!” Darcy nearly shrieked. “I’m going to kill Tony. And what I mean by that is that I’m not going to check and see if he’s alive today.”

“That sounds like a good plan, Lady Darcy. I hate to say this, but I must be going.” Thor stood up then, and gave her a bone crushing hug 

“Thanks for the pizza, Thor! Want to go ring shopping tomorrow?” Darcy suggested.

“Sounds perfect, Lady Darcy! See you then!” And Thor was off to who knows where. Darcy thought about her drawing again and decided to look up and see if the coloring of the roses meant anything.

Into Google she typed, ‘ _yellow rose with red tip meaning’_ and clicked on the first website that popped up. Darcy’s eyes nearly popped out of her head when she read the words ‘ _falling in love’._ Well, that was new one. This was bugging Darcy out of her mind! Who could her secret admirer possibly be? She gently banged her head against her desk and let out a huge groan  

“Having fun?” a voice asked. She looked up to the door, and Steve was there, casually leaning against it. 

Great. Now she had embarrassed herself in front of her crush.

“Just a little frustrated. That’s all.” She said. “Come in, what can I do for you, Capsicle?”

“Not you too! Tony calls me that all the time.” Steve cringed. 

Darcy shrugged. “I spend a lot of time with Tony. He was bound to rub off on me.” 

“I finished reading the first two Harry Potter books.” Steve said. “I just. Wow. I’m at a loss for words. I’m reading the third one right now actually, but I’m only a few chapters into it. I never would have guessed the thing with Quirrell in the first book. These kids get into so much danger! I can’t stop reading. I’ve barely slept. You need to help me! 

“Wow, slow down there, Steve! I’m really impressed actually. You must’ve spent your whole weekend just reading! Did you even get out of bed? I know, the thing with Quirrell surprised me too. Wait until you get to the end of the third book! Hermione was always my favorite character before, but in the third book she does something so badass! It made me love her even more.” Darcy gushed. 

“I think Neville might be my favorite character. There’s just something about him, and I can’t place it yet, that makes me love him. I want to see more of him!” Steve told her 

“Neville is the best!” Darcy exclaimed. “I love him in the last book. At the rate you’re going, you’ll be on the last book by this Saturday!”

“I can’t put the books down! I wish they had these when I was younger. I would have loved every second of it.”

“Thank goodness you didn’t have them when you were younger! If they had made movies out of them, the special effects would have been terrible!”

“Hey! Specials effects weren’t that bad back then. And all those movies are classics!” Steve playfully argued with her.

“Well, I’ll agree with you that some old movies are classics if you can agree with me that special effects in the 40s were pretty cringe worthy!” Darcy bantered back. 

“Okay… I’ll admit it. Special effects were pretty bad back then.” Steve relented. He eyed the drawing of the flower on her desk that she had taken out when she was googling what it meant. “What’s that?” 

“I have a secret admirer.” Darcy told Steve, and took out the other drawings from her desk. “He’s been drawing me pictures for the past few days. Aren’t they beautiful?” She tried to gauge his reaction by showing him the photos, but Steve kept a straight face.

“He’s a very talented artist.” Steve said. “And how are you so sure that it’s a guy? Maybe it’s a girl.” Steve wiggled his eyebrows at that comment.

 “And you say I spend too much time with Tony Stark!” Darcy laughed. “I just have a hunch that it’s a guy.” 

Inside, Darcy was a little disappointed, because she was fairly certain this conversation meant that Steve was not her secret admirer. She really wanted it to be him. Darcy pushed that depressing though out of the way and focused on the here-and-now with Steve.

“It seems like this guy really likes you, Darcy.” Steve commented. “Do you think you like him?”

“Well I certainly like his drawings! I’ve always thought artistic guys were quite sexy. I don’t know him, though, so I can’t really like him.” Darcy said, which seemed to appease Steve. That was odd.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Steve asked. 

Darcy’s heart stopped. “I’m going out with Thor, but I hardly believe that will take all night. Why? 

“I was wondering if you wanted to watch the first Harry Potter movie with me? I figured you would be the most knowledgable about this.” Steve asked nervously. 

“Of course! I would be delighted to watch you watch Harry Potter for the first time! You’re going to love it, I’m sure.” Darcy said happily.

“Great! Why don’t you come by my apartment around 7? I heard the movies are pretty long.” Steve said, scratching the back of his neck, which showed a very well muscled arm.

“I’ll bring the candy!” Darcy offered. “See you then, Cap!” 

Steve left the room and Darcy quickly closed the door. She had to tell herself a few times that _this was not a date with Captain America._ They were just friends, and he knew that she liked the movie too. This was _not_ a date. Totally not a date.

* * *

“What do you think of this dress?” Pepper asked. This was maybe the third or fourth dress she tried on, and she yet to find the one. This one was a stunning olive green dress with a high neckline.

“It’s not very _you._ ” Darcy commented, looking at the dress. “I think you should wear white. That would be totally unexpected!”

“I agree with Darcy. I think white would be a show stopper!” Natasha added. 

“I’m no good with fashion. I’m here so that you guys can dress me.” Jane said.  

“Good idea! I think I have a white one picked out somewhere.” Pepper said, going back into the dressing room of the expensive boutique and putting that one on.

“Did your secret admirer leave you another note?” Natasha asked curiously while inspecting oneher nails. She looked up at Darcy and raised an eyebrow. 

“He did! He drew me a rose this time. A yellow rose with red tips that symbolizes -“

“Falling in love.” Natasha interrupted. “This secret admirer has got it bad for you Darcy.”

Jane looked up from her piece of science equipment. “Did I just hear something about falling in love?” She asked. “Darcy, you hang out with Steve one time and now you say you’re falling in love?!”

“Woah, hold up there, Jane! If you were paying attention, you would have heard that my secret admirer possibly admitted that he is falling in love with me. Also, what sort of woman do you think I am? I do not fall in love that quickly. Another also, I’ve hung out with Steve _two_ times, so there.” Darcy said smugly. 

“Did I just hear that you’ve hung out with Steve two times?!” Pepper’s muffled voice said. Just then Pepper walked out of the dressing room. “How do I look?”

“That’s the one.” Natasha said. “I think you should wear it with a silver mask. One that’s made out of diamonds. Tony would love it” 

“Pepper, you look stunning!” Darcy said. “I agree with Natasha.”

 “That’s really nice!” Jane commented.  

“Do you think?” Pepper did a twirl in the dress, trying to inspect herself from every angle. 

Darcy thought the dress was absolutely stunning. It had a high neckline, with intricate silver beading along the waist and neckline. It had no back and a slit up the thigh, which added a sexy flair to the gown. Now that Pepper, Jane, and Nat had found their dresses, it was time to find Darcy a dress. Jane had picked out a stunning long sleeved golden gown. She looked like the sun when she put it on. Darcy made sure that Jane picked out a wonderful dress, because she would be remembering the night for many years to come (hopefully, if she said yes). Nat picked out a deep green dress with a plunging neckline to wear. It was sexy, and it was Natasha. 

“Now we need to find a dress for you!” Nat exclaimed. “I think I saw a dress up front that would look wonderful on you. I’ll be right back.”

Nat came back a minute later with the most gorgeous dress Darcy had ever seen. She took it and went into the dressing room to try it on. When she stepped out, all the girls jaws’ dropped. 

“Is it really that bad?” Darcy asked. “Maybe I should just go find another dress.”

“No!” Pepper said. “It’s beautiful.” 

And then Darcy got a good look at herself. The dress was made of multiple layers of different shades of blue, ranging from a dark royal blue to a midnight navy, and the sleeves went just off her shoulders. It was made of many layers of soft chiffon that had delicate flowers appliqués a placed around the neckline, through the bodice, and onto the skirt. It accented wonderfully with her dark hair and porcelain skin. It made her cleavage look amazing, and Darcy had never felt more beautiful. 

“I need to get this one!” Darcy exclaimed. 

She was suddenly very excited for this masquerade. 

* * *

 The next day there was no note waiting for Darcy, and she moped through most of the day. It was amazing how something as small as a little drawing could make or break Darcy’s day. She wasn’t too sad for long, however, as she was going ring shopping with Thor and then she had a movie night planned with Steve. 

Ring shopping with Thor was as to be expected. He didn’t really understand how it all worked, which was why he brought Darcy along. Thor was suggesting the largest ring, as he thought getting the largest ring would show the greatest amount of affection. Apparently in Asgard, the suitor would hunt animals and present their loved one with the carcass of the said animal. The larger the animal was determined the suitor’s capability of being able to take care of their betrothed, which somehow turned into affection? Darcy didn’t really understand how it all worked. 

With some gentle persuasion, Darcy managed to convince Thor to get a simple pear shaped diamond ring. Granted, the diamond was two whole carats, but it was less ostentatious than what Thor would have originally picked. Thor really wanted to get her a six carat pink diamond ring, so Darcy had to tell Thor that the diamond was a reflection of the girl’s personality, and gigantic pink sparkles didn’t really reflect Jane at all. 

They both got back around six, which left Darcy with an hour to freak out about her movie night with Steve. She was still in her business clothes, and she couldn’t go in those. What could she wear? Darcy eventually settled on a pair of leggings with a big sweater and converse. She looked cute, comfy, and casual. That was what mattered to Darcy. 

She still had a half an hour until she was set to meet Steve, so she went on her social media sites to see how everyone was doing. One thing that she would never get used to was the fame of being associated with the Avengers. She caught the paparazzi snapping photos of her one time! She had 300,000 twitter followers, _and_ she was verified. Just because she hung out with the Avengers sometimes. However - Darcy didn’t like to brag but she would admit this - she was the coordinator and personal assistant for some of the most famous people on earth and beyond. She managed Tony Stark’s day to day activities and planned some of the biggest galas and parties on the planet. She was a busy and very successful women. It made sense why she had the followers she had.  

Darcy played around with her phone for a few minutes before heading upstairs to Steve’s apartment. She grabbed the candy she bought when she was out earlier with Thor, and headed to the elevator. As she was riding in the elevator, she got really nervous. Her stomach felt queasy, and her throat was dry.

“Not a date.” She muttered to herself. “Steve is your friend! You just happen to have to _really_ want to bang him.” 

She walked up to Steve’s door and knocked on it. He opened it a second later, and it was almost as if he was waiting by the door. He had a huge smile on his face. Frank the bulldog pushed his way between Steve’s legs and barked happily, and Darcy petted the fat dog. 

“Hi Darcy!” Steve greeted. “Are you ready to watch some Harry Potter?"

“I’m very excited! I can’t wait to see your reaction to everything. Not that I’m going to be watching you or anything, but just…. It’s a really good movie.” Darcy said. She wanted to kick herself in the face. She was so embarrassing. 

“Why don’t you come in?” Steve offered. “I see you brought candy.” 

“I don’t know what sort of candy you liked, so I brought my favorites.” Darcy said. “I love Jolly Ranchers and Cookie Dough Bites. They always hit the spot.” 

“Cookie Dough Bites?” Steve said. “That sounds weird, but oddly delicious.”

“Don’t get addicted to them, Cap! One time Thor ate too many and got sick. It was kind of funny, actually.” Darcy said. She was finally starting to feel more like herself, and not like some embarrassing dweeb. 

“Why don’t we start the movie?” Steve asked, and led her into the living room. She got comfy on the couch and Steve sat down next to her. Frank got comfy too, smushing his face right in between Darcy’s leg. She happily petted the needy dog. Steve got up a second later. “Do you want anything to drink? I have wine, water, beer?” 

“Could I have a water please?” Darcy asked. 

Steve reappeared a moment later with two waters, one for the each of them. This time, he sat down a little bit closer. Their thighs were almost touching, and if Darcy moved a little bit then they would surely be touching. Suddenly Darcy was hyperaware of how close Steve was to her. She could smell his body wash, which smelt of something woodsy and something else she couldn’t place a name on. 

“Hey Jarvis, could you please queue up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone?” Steve asked the AI politely. 

“Of course, Mr. Rogers.” Jarvis replied. 

Darcy giggled. “Mr. Rogers? Next think I know you’ll be wearing cardigans.” She commented. 

Luckily Steve understood the reference. “Tony thought it would be hilarious.” He explained. “He even photoshopped my face onto his.” Steve pointed to the photo on top of a piece of furniture. Sure enough, Steve’s face was cropped perfectly into Mr. Rogers. 

“It is!” Just as Darcy said that, the lights went down and the movie started playing. 

Watching the movie this time around was probably better than when she saw it when she was twelve. Steve’s reaction to everything was just magical. He commented at all the right places, laughed in the right spots, and Darcy enjoyed watching every moment of it with him. Sometime throughout the movie, Darcy had taken throw blanket and wrapped herself in it, and that same throw had eventually ended up on both she and Steve. She had to do everything not to just start screeching right then in there. Her heart was pounding. Steve had to hear it. He was a freaking superhuman.

Exactly. He was a freaking superhuman. What would he ever want to do with her? Not date her. Darcy reminded herself. When the movie ended Darcy and Steve chatted for an hour or so about the movie and other things. 

“I had a really good time tonight.” Steve admitted to her, blushing a little. Darcy and Steve were standing by his door. 

“Me, too.” Darcy smiled at him. 

“Want to watch the second one on Friday night?” Steve asked. “Of course, you don’t have to if you don’t want, but I figured that it might be pretty fun.”

“I’ll watch it with you, you silly goose!” Darcy laughed. “Stop rambling. I love the Harry Potter movies. Maybe Friday night we could marathon a few movies?” 

“That sounds like a great idea! I’ll try to finish the fourth book by Friday.” Steve offered. “That way we can watch the second, third, and fourth.” 

“Perfect. I can’t wait!” Darcy looked at Steve for a moment, waiting to see if he would kiss her. Instead, he just scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Well, I’ll see you around, Darcy!” Steve said. 

Darcy left his apartment and as soon as the door closed, she was smacking herself in the head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” she muttered to herself. A guy like Steve would never like a girl like her. That was just a silly idea. 

Little did she know that Steve was thinking the same exact thing. 

* * *

Darcy received notes on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday’s note was of the house from the movie Up, balloons and all. The quote was, “ _You’re weird; I like you._ ” Darcy didn’t have it in her to be insulted by it. Instead she was intrigued. Did this person know her enough to understand some of her quirks? She had no idea. 

Thursday’s note was again Disney themed. Darcy quite liked how the person was sticking to her favorite movies. The picture was of Wall-E and Eve, and there was no quote for that day. Darcy had made a small folder that she kept all her drawings in. Every day she liked to go through the pictures and admire the drawings that her secret admirer sent her. 

Friday’s note strayed away from the Disney theme. This time, it was a drawing of a box of chocolates. The back of the drawing read, “ _Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”_ It was her favorite quote from Forrest Gump. 

Who was this dang person?! Darcy was so frustrated. They knew so much about her, but she had no idea who it could possibly be! Not many lower level workers came up to her level to talk to her. A few times a week, maybe, so Darcy could tell them what needed to be done for whatever big event was going on. She never talked to them about anything other than work though. Unless they were extremely perceptive (which she didn’t think they were), Darcy was sure that it couldn’t be one of them. 

Darcy spent the rest of the day finalizing last minute plans for the masquerade. She confirmed floral arrangements, the caterer, the venue, and everything that needed to be done for a masquerade. Of course, there was still lots to oversee. She was going to meet the official party planner next week and help set up everything. Darcy would make sure that everything would be up to Tony’s standards, and then she had to make sure Bruce had a tuxedo ready for him because he was coming back. It was all rather stressful, but Darcy knew that the party would be worth it. 

Later Friday afternoon, when Darcy returned from work, was when she started panicking about her movie night with Steve. He seemed to like her well enough, she supposed. If he didn’t enjoy her company then he wouldn’t be asking her to watch all these movies. That thought calmed Darcy and she changed into comfier clothes for the night. She decided to bring over a bottle of wine so she wouldn’t come empty handed, and made her way up to Steve’s apartment. 

When she knocked on the door she was greeted by Steve, who had obviously just taken a shower. She tried not to stare at his damp hair or shirt that was clinging to his frame, and instead greeted him. Franklin decided to make an appearance and shoved his wave between Steve’s leg 

“Hi Steve! Hi Franklin!” She said, petting the dog. She turned to Steve. “I hope you finished the fourth book because we’re in for a movie night tonight! I brought wine.”

“Thanks for the wine, and why don’t you come in? And don’t worry, Darcy. I finished the fourth book and I even took a nap so that I would be able to stay up all night and watch these movies. An old grandpa like me wouldn’t have been able to make it otherwise.” Steve joked, pouring some wine for the both of him. 

He made his way over to the couch where Darcy was sitting and handed her a glass. Again, like the movie night they had just a few days before, Steve sat ridiculously close to Darcy. She nervously sipped her wine and Steve started the second movie. 

About halfway through the third movie Darcy made herself really comfortable. She got the blanket and stretched herself on one side of the couch, laying down. It meant that she had to move away from Steve, but she was tired. Halfway through the fourth movie, Darcy felt herself fall asleep. Steve was still completely entranced by the movie and its special effects, and didn’t notice that she feel asleep. 

It wasn’t long before Steve fell asleep too (only ten minutes before the ending of the fourth movie).

When Darcy woke up, she found herself curled against Steve’s large frame. He was still sitting up, and his head was at an uncomfortable angle. He was out like a light, snoring softly, and looked absolutely adorable. 

_Holy shit._

Darcy had spent the night at Steve’s house. She slept over his freaking house! She tried not to stir too much because she didn’t want to wake Steve. After ten minutes of being awkwardly curled against Steve’s side, Darcy decided to get up. She did it quick like a bandaid, because she knew that every bone in her was going to ache when she got up. And boy, was she right. All the bones in her back cracked as she stretched, and that noise seemed to wake Steve up. He looked lost and confused for a moment, before looking up to Darcy 

“Guess we fell asleep.” Steve said with a small smile. He stood up also, and Darcy could hear his bones crack. “Gosh, that hurts!”

“I know. I think we’re getting too old for this. You especially.” Darcy joked. She looked around the apartment for a moment. “I should probably get going. I have some errands to run.”

“Yeah, me too.” Steve said. “This was really fun. I mean it.”

“It was fun. It feels nice to be able to relax. I love my girls, but sometimes they like to go a little crazy.” Darcy said. “I love being able to do simply nothing.”

“Somebody gets it!” Steve said. “Would you want to marathon the last few next week maybe?”

“I don’t think I can. I would love to, but next week is a super busy week for me. The masquerade is coming up and I have so many things to do. I wish I could. Maybe the week after?” Darcy looked at him hopefully.

“Well, at least this gives me time to finish the last few books. Now I’ll be able to sleep at night knowing I don’t have to read a whole book in three hours!” Steve joked and gave her smile.

“You don’t have to do that.” Darcy said. “Enjoy reading the books! Don’t stress yourself out. I really must get going though. Thanks for having me!”

“See you around, Darcy!” Steve said, and Darcy walked out the door. 

When the door close, Darcy nearly booked it to the elevator and freaked out pretty hard in there. She slept over Steve’s house! They didn’t sleep together, but she cuddled Steve Rogers! He probably didn’t realize that she cuddle him, but she didn’t care. She did a little victory dance and happily walked back to her apartment. 

Natasha was once again sitting on her apartment couch 

“You know, you should really stop doing that.” Darcy told her. She sat down on the couch and crossed her arms. “What do you want? I have things to do today.”

“Looks like someone didn’t get a good sleep.” Nat muttered. She rolled her eyes and continued speaking. “Why were you out all night with Cap? Did you sleep with him?” 

“No no no! I didn’t sleep with him. We were marathoning the Harry Potter movies and we fell asleep. Do you really think I would wear this outfit if I wanted to get laid?” Darcy said. 

“Well, the thing is, you _do_ want to get laid by Captain America. So apparently, you would wear that outfit if you wanted to get laid.” Natasha pointed out. “And gosh, you two are such nerds. At least watch some good movies!”

“They are good movies!” Darcy replied indignantly. 

“So did you at least cuddle Steve then, Darcy? Please tell me you did. I’m tired of you skirting around that boy.” Natasha said. 

“If you are really that curious, I’ll let you know that I did cuddle him. It was nice. He’s really warm.” Darcy humphed. “Why are you so nosy?”

“I’m your best friend. I’m allowed to be this nosy.” Natasha replied. “You should go take a shower. I want you to be downstairs in an hour. We’re all going shopping for masks later and accessories later.”

Darcy rolled her eyes at her friend and went to take a shower. She quickly got dressed and didn’t even bother to put makeup on. She threw on her glasses and went down to the lobby, where she found her friends waiting for her. 

“Finally!” Jane exclaimed. 

“Where are we going today? Where do you even get masks made?” Darcy asked, ignoring Jane’s comment.

“There’s a place down the street that sells them. They’re really nice!” Pepper said. She always knew the best places to shop. 

The four girls left the lobby and started walking in the direction that Pepper was leading. Darcy hoped and prayed that Nat wouldn’t say anything about her sleepover with Steve, but she knew that she probably wasn’t going to get that lucky. 

While Jane and Pepper were walking ahead and seemingly distracted, Darcy decided to talk to Natasha. 

“Nat? Could you please not tell Pepper and Jane about me spending the night in Steve’s apartment? I would rather keep it private for now. I don’t want to get their imaginations reeling, either. You know how they can be.” Darcy asked pleadingly. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. But you should tell them eventually. They may have some good advice.” Natasha offered the advice to Darcy, who contemplated it. 

“I think I may tell Jane later, but I don’t know. I just want to keep it to myself for now and replay all the events over and over.” Darcy explained to Natasha.

“Fair enough. I won’t say anything. My lips are sealed.” Natasha said.

Darcy was glad that she didn’t have to worry about that. “Nat, are you wearing my dress? The one that I’ve been looking for for a while now?” Darcy questioned. 

“Maybe.” Natasha looked guiltily at Darcy. “In my defense, you left it in my apartment and then forgot about it for a month. I’ll give it back.”

“That’s my favorite date night dress.” Darcy explained. “Not that I go on many dates, but it shows off the girls well and it’s my favorite.”

* * *

The rest of the weekend went by way too fast for Darcy’s liking. She was looking forward to seeing if there were any more drawings left for her by her secret admirer, though. Darcy was not disappointed. 

This was the most intricate drawing yet. It was of the Gotham Hall where the masquerade was being held. She flipped the drawing around to see if there was a note. It read, “ _See you there…”_

Okay, so this was a clue. Kind of. This drawing meant that her secret admirer was important enough to be at the masquerade. He was going to be at the masquerade! But how would she know who he was? She just hoped that he would find her. 

The next day brought another drawing. This time, Darcy was really and truly blown away. It was a drawing of her. It was a photo of her, curled up on a couch, and it looked like she was watching a movie. She gasped and lightly ran her fingers over the drawing, being careful not to mess anything up. Who could possibly know her this well that they could draw a photo of her?Her mind immediately went to Steve, but as far as she knew, he didn’t draw. And he didn’t like her. They were only just friends. 

Wednesday was another drawing of Darcy, this time standing in a very specific spot of Gotham Hall. The note on the back read, _“Meet you here, eleven o’clock.”_ Her secret admirer wanted to meet her. Darcy was freaking out. She didn’t tell anyone about the notes that were coming now. The girls were curious, but she didn’t tell anyone about them. 

On Thursday, Darcy received a drawing of her dancing with a mystery stranger. He had no face, only a large frame. The note read, “S _ee you tomorrow."_  

Now Darcy was really freaking out. She had no idea who her secret admirer could be and she thought that maybe she liked her secret admirer. He was a talented artist and payed attention to all the little details of her life. She didn’t find it creepy. She actually found it touching that somebody thought some of the weird details of her life were endearing. This secret admirer knew her favorite movies and characters, her favorite coffee and quotes. She wanted to give this man a try. 

Soon enough Friday came and Darcy made her way to Tony and Pepper’s apartment to get ready with the girls. Darcy had finished all the last minute planning that needed to be made. The venue looked perfect, the music was ready, and the food was on its way, and the staff was ready for a night of wild partying. Pepper (god bless her) had taken care of the seating arrangement. Darcy thought she did a rather nice job helping plan the whole masquerade. When Darcy arrived to the penthouse, she had never seen it so busy. Makeup artists and stylists were already working on Jane’s hair, Natasha was getting her nails done, and Pepper was no where to be found. It wasn’t long before some stylist found her and started working on her hair. 

“Are you excited for tonight, Darce?” Jane asked. “I’m actually kind of excited. I haven’t let loose in a while. I don’t really want to get dressed up, but I have a feeling it will be fun.”

“I’m completely sure you’re going to have a great time tonight.” Darcy said, knowing that Thor was going to propose to her later on.“I think I’m going to have fun. I mean, I better have fun after all this planning! I’ve been stressed out beyond imagination. I’m going to drink like there’s no tomorrow!”

Pepper walked in then, talking on her smartphone. “Business doesn’t stop even when there’s a big party.” She sighed, and plopped into one of the chairs that the makeup stylists had set up. He started moisturizing her face and Pepper sighed contently. “I can’t wait to let loose tonight.” 

Darcy could feel her stylist twisting her hair up into an intricate updo. She was suddenly very glad that Natasha suggested getting stylists for them all, because Darcy didn’t have any idea on how to do her hair so intricately. 

“Do you think your secret admirer is going to be there?” Jane asked Darcy. “I hope he is. You can dance with him!”

“He may be.” Darcy shrugged, trying to keep a neutral expression. She looked over at Natasha who was raising her eyebrow knowingly. Darcy stared her down. 

“I hope he’s there.” Pepper said. “I know this mystery man has been bugging you for the longest time!” 

“It has been bugging me.” Darcy said. “I just want to know who he is.”

* * *

Several hours later, Darcy felt completely relaxed and ready for the masquerade. Her hair had been done up into a beautiful curly updo with a few soft tendrils falling onto her face. Her makeup was done in a simple taupe smokey eye and neutral lip, as the attention was going to be on her dress and her mask and she didn’t want to be too done up. Her intricate silver mask was pinned to her face so she wouldn’t have to hold it up the whole night. It had a few navy rhinestones on it that matched her dress perfectly. Her dress was fitted exactly to her frame and hugged every curve. She had white gold jewelry and silver shoes to match her mask. Darcy felt like the goddess of the moon and night. She felt beautiful. 

Natasha looked stunning with her hair in a french twist and she had a black mask on. Her green dress made her white skin look even paler, and she looked stunning. Jane looked positively radiant in her golden dress. She had kept with the gold theme and had gone for a golden mask too. Darcy knew Thor would like it. Jane looked like an Asgardian Goddess. Pepper looked amazing in white and silver, her long hair pinned half up in loose curls. 

It wasn’t long before Darcy was being whisked away into a limo with Natasha and Clint to make her appearance. She stepped out of the limo and paparazzi were flashing their cameras in her face, trying to get her dress at every single angle possible. She knew this was going to be in the tabloids in the morning. 

She got to Gotham Hall as quickly as she possibly could and marveled at the creation she made. The lights were dimmed and large curtains were placed around the hall to make the high ceilings look even higher than they actually were. The decorations were perfect; Tony had asked for red and gold decorations, but Darcy had opted to go for maroon and champagne. Tony probably wouldn’t recognize the difference, but it gave the hall a more classy and elegant feel than a bright red and sparkly gold. 

“I think you completely outdid yourself.” Natasha told her. “This is stunning. And you even managed to make Tony’s colors look less disgusting. 

“That’s what I was going for!” Darcy flashed a brilliant smile at her. “I’m ready to drink my life away!” 

Darcy grabbed one of the glasses of champagne that a waiter offered her and made her way to mingle with some people that she hadn’t seen in a long time. Small talk was never her favorite, but she could deal for an hour before the real party started. 

Soon enough dinner was called and Darcy made her way to find her table. She was sitting with Jane, Thor, Bruce, Erik, and a few other scientists that she didn’t know. She really hoped that she would get to sit with Steve, but he was nowhere to be found. 

Darcy was utterly bored throughout most of the dinner. Instead, she let her thoughts drift to meeting her secret admirer. She was meeting him. _Tonight._ She had no idea who he was, what he was really like, or what he looked like. She just hoped that he was as thoughtful as she thought him to be. His drawings proved that he was thoughtful. Darcy couldn’t help but feel nervous. Her heart was pounding and she could feel herself getting a little bit sweaty, and she blamed it all on meeting this mystery stranger. 

She looked around the room, trying to see if there was anyone that looked suspicious or different, but everybody seemed to be having a good time. There was nobody who looked as nervous as she did. Darcy sighed. Steve wasn’t even anywhere to be found. 

After dinner the dancing began. The band played some classy music, none of the obnoxious dubstep or rock that Tony wanted. That would come later, when all the squares left. Darcy was smart enough to know not to play Tony’s suggested music. Darcy kept her eyes locked on the clock, and sipped on her champagne. She didn’t dance with anybody, instead focusing on her nerves. She made sure to make note of the area of the hall where she would be meeting her mystery man. It was slightly secluded; there were only a few people mingling there. 

Eleven o’clock came faster than Darcy wanted it to. She felt a lump in her throat. She was shaking slightly as she got up and made her way to the corner that her secret admirer specified. When she got there, there was nobody there yet. She looked around and looked for the person. She didn’t know what they looked like, so her search was in vain. 

“Care for a dance?” A voice behind her said. 

This was it. This was the person. Darcy whipped around and saw her secret admirer. He was tall, blonde, and was wearing a dark grey suit. His tie was navy blue and perfectly matched hers. His mask covered most of his face so it took her a second to make out who he was. 

“Steve?” she asked. Was it Steve all along? Could it be? “It was you?”

In the background, Darcy could hear _Beauty and the Beast_ playing. Steve led her out to the dance floor and spun her around the floor.  


“It’s always been you, Darcy. Ever since you moved here, I’ve been entranced by your beauty, your kindness, determination, wit, intelligence. You’re one heck of a girl, Darce. If you want me, I’m all yours.” He told her. 

Darcy felt tears welling up in her eyes. “I can’t believe it’s you. I never thought somebody like you would like me.” She laughed a little.

“Darcy, you’re the most amazing person anyone could ask for.” Steve told her genuinely. “It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.”

“Oh shut up, you fool.” Darcy told him, and smacked him playfully. 

“If it’s alright, could I kiss you?” He asked her. 

“Of course.” 

And they stood there, kissing in the middle of the dance floor. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! Hope you all enjoyed. Please let me know if you want a follow up to this, or if you want a one shot of Thor's proposal to Jane! Thanks for reading. (:


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